The 20 Cities with the Deepest Roots

Governing magazine analyzed U.S. Census data to find the cities "marked by people who maintain strong local ties and are generally more civically active, making for distinct communities." Michael Maciag explains that the analysis included a review of three indicators: "length of housing tenure, whether people lived in the state where they were born and recent migration data."

The analysis revealed several cities "as places where residents tend to have deep local roots," according to Maciag. The post includes an interactive infographic that allows a break down of findings on each of the three indicators.

"The following 20 cities ranked highest across the three indicators, suggesting high concentrations of residents with strong local ties: Akron, Ohio, Birmingham, Ala., Cleveland, Detroit, East Los Angeles, Calif., Flint, Mich., Fort Wayne, Ind., Green Bay, Wis., Huntington Beach, Calif., Independence, Mo., Jackson, Miss., Miami Gardens, Fla., Mobile, Ala., Norwalk, Calif., Philadelphia, Rialto, Calif., Rockford, Ill., Toledo, Ohio, West Covina, Calif., and Yonkers, N.Y."